Lori Loughlin plea deal can be worth a decade in the slammer: Judge Napolitano

Judge Napolitano on college cheating charges: What the government is doing is horrendous

Fox News senior judicial analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano says the government is basically punishing the people charged in the college cheating scandal for exercising their guaranteed constitutional right to plead not guilty.

Fox News senior judicial analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano said forcing actress Lori Loughlin to settle and avoiding trial in the college bribery scandal could land her in prison for an additional 10 years.

Continue Reading Below

The “Full House” star along with 10 other parents face additional bribery charges, in addition to their indictments, for conspiring to commit fraud and money laundering in connection to the college cheating scandal.

MORE FROM FOXBUSINESS.COM…

Judge Napolitano said a plea deal puts the government at a big advantage. The government was only able to give short sentences because they were unable to prove that these bribes cause a lot of harm, he said.

Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli allegedly paid $500,000 in bribes to get their daughters on the University of Southern California’s crew team, even though neither participated in the sport. They pleaded not guilty in April.

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

Judge Napolitano said in order to address the reduced sentences, they charged people with more crimes, which may lead to even more serious sentences for Loughlin.

“So when these people come up, Lori Loughlin is the example, and eventually plead guilty, instead of being exposed to 15 months, she's exposed to 10 years because the government wants to show it's tough,” he told Neil Cavuto on Wednesday.